Ch. 4: A Gentle Poison
The next day…
In the gentle sunlight that filtered through the trees, Sakia and I had gone out into the forest to pick wildflowers for research materials.
Sakia: "The poisonous plants to get today are…andromeda, sophora…and lily-of-the-valley."
Lily-of-the-valley?
OO: "Lily-of-the-valley is poisonous?"
Sakia: "Yes…we have to do things with it to sell it…because it’s no good to just look at it…but it’s a beautiful poisonous plant…The root in particular…contains a lot of a component for a deadly poison. There’s a story…in a book I read…about a child who mistakenly drank the water from … the vase a lily was growing in and died…"
OO: "Oh…"
I didn’t know something like the lily-of-the-valley was poisonous.
Sakia: "Well…even if you have a lethal does…it doesn’t have the same potency…as poison dogwood."
While Sakia spoke, we picked several white lilies that were growing at our feet.
Sakia: "Alright, let’s go…"
As we went back the way we came…
I saw a squirrel that looked as if it was about to eat the root of an unburied lily.
No, don’t…
I instantly turned towards the squirrel…
OO: "Ah…"
The grass wrapped around my feet and I fell.
OO: "…!!"
A dull pain spread through my ankle, and it began to tingle painfully.
I twisted it…
Sakia: "What’s wrong…?"
OO: "Nothing, I just fell…"
I was relieved as I saw the squirrel dash away in fright.
Sakia: "I wonder if it thought…the ones we dug up were nuts… Seems like you saved it…are you ok?"
Sakia gently examined my ankle.
OO: "Yeah…sorry."
Sakia: "We should hurry and treat it…otherwise, it’ll swell…wait here…"
Sakia quickly mixed some wild plants together and rubbed the medicinal concoction on my leg.
OO: "Thanks, you’re amazing Sakia."
Sakia: "I’m used to mixing…it’s no big deal…"
Sakia spoke so bluntly, and I saw his ears turn red. A smile escaped my lips.
Sakia: "Th-this is…a mixture of the poisonous plants…I mentioned before…andromeda and sophora… The color is kind of sinister…but it’ll work immediately…so…just…hold on…"
OO: "…ok."
Sakia’s slender fingers gently rubbed my ankle, and it twitched.
Ouch…
Sakia: "Are you alright…!? Does it hurt…?"
OO: "No, I’m fine…"
He’s treating it for me, so I have to endure…
Sakia: "In the case of needing potent medicine…medicinal herbs…the most effective thing is…a mixture of poisonous plants…"
OO: "So poison can be turned into medicine after all."
Sakia: "Poison…and medicine…"
His hand that was rubbing my ankle suddenly froze.
OO: "Sakia?"
Sakia: "Poison can become medicine too… I wonder…if I continue my research…if my poisons will one day be medicine… What do you think…?"
[CHOICE]
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It will become medicine (SUN)
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Poison is poison (MOON)
Saying that, Sakia lifted me up in his arms.
OO: "S-Sakia!?"
His unexpected strength made my heart skip a beat.
Sakia: "…this was only…temporary first aid…"
OO: "Yes, I think it’ll become medicine! I mean, you just made some medicine for me, didn’t you?"
Sakia: "Medicine…not poisons that hurt people…but medicines that save…"
OO: "Hmmm…it’s true that medicine can come from poisons...But regardless of whether or not the people working on it could properly make medicine, I wonder… if the poison wouldn’t remain as poison."
Sakia: "Yeah…that’s true."